Wendy Morton Portrait

Wendy Morton

Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills

4,294 (10.5%) majority - 2024 General Election

First elected: 7th May 2015

Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

(since November 2024)

Backbench Business Committee
21st Oct 2024 - 9th Dec 2024
Speaker's Conference (2022)
19th Jan 2023 - 30th May 2024
Backbench Business Committee
27th Nov 2023 - 30th May 2024
Speaker's Conference
19th Jan 2023 - 30th May 2024
Backbench Business Committee
21st Nov 2022 - 26th Oct 2023
Child Support Collection (Domestic Abuse) Bill
8th Dec 2022 - 14th Dec 2022
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (Chief Whip)
6th Sep 2022 - 25th Oct 2022
Minister of State (Department for Transport)
9th Feb 2022 - 6th Sep 2022
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
19th Dec 2021 - 9th Feb 2022
Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (Disabled Persons) Bill
2nd Feb 2022 - 9th Feb 2022
Motor Vehicles (Compulsory Insurance) Bill
5th Jan 2022 - 5th Jan 2022
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
2nd Sep 2020 - 19th Dec 2021
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) (Joint with the Department for International Development)
13th Feb 2020 - 2nd Sep 2020
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
26th Jul 2019 - 13th Feb 2020
Assistant Whip (HM Treasury)
9th Jan 2018 - 26th Jul 2019
Committees on Arms Export Controls
10th Feb 2016 - 3rd May 2017
International Development Committee
8th Jul 2015 - 3rd May 2017
Regulatory Reform
12th Oct 2015 - 3rd May 2017
Committees on Arms Export Controls (formerly Quadripartite Committee)
10th Feb 2016 - 3rd May 2017
Backbench Business Committee
13th Jun 2016 - 31st Oct 2016


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Wendy Morton has voted in 117 divisions, and never against the majority of their Party.
View All Wendy Morton Division Votes

Debates during the 2024 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Lucy Powell (Labour (Co-op))
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
(21 debate interactions)
Lindsay Hoyle (Speaker)
(13 debate interactions)
Torsten Bell (Labour)
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
(8 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
HM Treasury
(23 debate contributions)
Department for Work and Pensions
(18 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
View all Wendy Morton's debates

Aldridge-Brownhills Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Petition Debates Contributed

Raise the income tax personal allowance from £12570 to £20000. We think this would help low earners to get off benefits and allow pensioners a decent income.

I would like there to be another General Election.

I believe the current Labour Government have gone back on the promises they laid out in the lead up to the last election.


Latest EDMs signed by Wendy Morton

2nd September 2024
Wendy Morton signed this EDM on Monday 2nd September 2024

Social Security

Tabled by: Rishi Sunak (Conservative - Richmond and Northallerton)
That an humble Address be presented to His Majesty, praying that the Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Regulations 2024 (S.I., 2024, No. 869), dated 22 August 2024, a copy of which was laid before this House on 22 August 2024, be annulled.
81 signatures
(Most recent: 10 Sep 2024)
Signatures by party:
Conservative: 74
Independent: 4
Democratic Unionist Party: 2
Scottish National Party: 1
21st December 2017
Wendy Morton signed this EDM on Thursday 21st December 2017

BIRMINGHAM FOR COMMONWEALTH GAMES 2022

Tabled by: Caroline Spelman (Conservative - Meriden)
That this House celebrates the news that Birmingham has been chosen to be the venue for the 2022 Commonwealth Games; recognises the way the leaders of the West Midlands Combined Authority and hon. Members have worked together to secure this important achievement for our region; congratulates Andy Street, West Midlands …
11 signatures
(Most recent: 28 Feb 2018)
Signatures by party:
Conservative: 6
Democratic Unionist Party: 2
Scottish National Party: 2
Labour: 1
View All Wendy Morton's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Wendy Morton, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.


Wendy Morton has not been granted any Urgent Questions

1 Adjournment Debate led by Wendy Morton

Wednesday 4th September 2024

5 Bills introduced by Wendy Morton


A Bill to extend public access to certain local audit documents under section 26 of the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 27th April 2017 and was enacted into law.


A Bill to make provision for, and in connection with, the removal of the Secretary of State’s powers under the National Health Service Act 2006 to appoint trustees; to make provision transferring to Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity the right to a royalty conferred by Schedule 6 to the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988; and for connected purposes.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 23rd March 2016 and was enacted into law.


A Bill to provide that ​Crown tenancies may be assured tenancies for the purposes of the Housing Act 1988, subject to certain exceptions; to modify the assured tenancies regime in relation to certain Crown tenancies; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 60%

Last Event - Committee Debate: House Of Commons
Wednesday 1st March 2017
(Read Debate)

A Bill to regulate works on certain highways in England by making provision about weekend and bank holiday working and provision about removal of traffic lights and other traffic management measures after the completion of works.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Monday 4th July 2016

A Bill to place a duty on local highways agencies and local transport authorities to make provisions safeguarding wildlife on roads passing through, or adjacent to, specified protected areas; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Monday 4th July 2016

Latest 50 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
1st Apr 2025
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of new (a) Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and (b) micro businesses created between 30 October 2024 and 31 March 2025.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon lady’s Parliamentary Question of 1st April is attached.

Abena Oppong-Asare
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
6th May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the high growth accelerator programme in the West Midlands on the number of new jobs created in Aldridge-Brownhills constituency.

The High Growth Accelerator is a great example of locally led business growth delivered by the West Midlands Combined Authority through Business Growth West Midlands.

Last year’s pilot saw fifty SMEs on track to boost investment and turnover by £20m with the West Midlands. The High Growth Accelerator continues into its second year, and the Department will be working closely with the Combined Authority to support its outcomes.

DBT will be launching its New Business Growth Service which will make it easier and quicker for SMEs to find government advice and support and will be an integral part of the SME Strategy that will be published in 2025.

Gareth Thomas
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
6th May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the high growth accelerator programme in the West Midlands on the number of new SMEs created in Aldridge-Brownhills constituency.

The High Growth Accelerator is a great example of locally led business growth delivered by the West Midlands Combined Authority through Business Growth West Midlands.

Last year’s pilot saw fifty SMEs on track to boost investment and turnover by £20m with the West Midlands. The High Growth Accelerator continues into its second year, and the Department will be working closely with the Combined Authority to support its outcomes.

DBT will be launching its New Business Growth Service which will make it easier and quicker for SMEs to find government advice and support and will be an integral part of the SME Strategy that will be published in 2025.

Gareth Thomas
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
6th May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the high growth accelerator programme in the West Midlands on the levels of investment secured by SMEs in Aldridge-Brownhills constituency.

The High Growth Accelerator is a great example of locally led business growth delivered by the West Midlands Combined Authority through Business Growth West Midlands.

Last year’s pilot saw fifty SMEs on track to boost investment and turnover by £20m with the West Midlands. The High Growth Accelerator continues into its second year, and the Department will be working closely with the Combined Authority to support its outcomes.

DBT will be launching its New Business Growth Service which will make it easier and quicker for SMEs to find government advice and support and will be an integral part of the SME Strategy that will be published in 2025.

Gareth Thomas
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
22nd Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill on business confidence and growth.

The Department for Business and Trade has published a set of Impact Assessments that provide a comprehensive analysis on the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill. This analysis includes con-sideration of impacts on businesses and economic growth and concludes the package could have “a positive but small direct impact on economic growth” and will “help to raise living standards across the country and create opportunities for all.”

This represents the best estimate for the likely impacts given the current stage of policy development. We plan to refine our analysis as policy development continues, working closely with external experts, businesses and trade unions.

Justin Madders
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
22nd Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill on economic growth.

The Secretary of State, responsible Ministers and policy officials meet regularly with their counterparts in HM Treasury. This includes on discussions related to delivering the biggest upgrade to workers' rights in a generation through the Employment Rights Bill. Our analysis shows the package could have “a positive but small direct impact on economic growth” and will “help to raise living standards across the country and create opportunities for all.”

This represents the best estimate for the likely impacts given the current stage of policy development. We plan to refine our analysis as policy development continues, working closely with external experts, businesses and trade unions.

Justin Madders
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
22nd Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department had discussions with the West Midlands Combined Authority prior to the visit to China by the Mayor of the West Midlands.

My department, with officials from FCDO, directly supported a number of Combined Authority leaders on this visit to China, which included the Mayor of the West Midlands. The programme focused on strengthening growth across regions to enhance investment and diplomatic relationships. Economic growth and investment remain a fundamental priority for this Government, and we will continue to support regional mayors and our nations to forge global relationships with investors and businesses to promote the UKs investment credentials.

Gareth Thomas
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
27th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer 18 March 2025 to Question 36660 on USA: Trade Agreements, if he will set out his the expected timeline for an economic deal.

On Tuesday 18 March, the Secretary of State for Business and Trade met with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and the Special Envoy to the UK Mark Burnett in Washington DC. The meeting followed last month’s agreement between the Prime Minister and President Trump that teams would start working together on an Economic Prosperity Deal, building on our shared strengths and commitment to economic security. Ministers and officials will be continuing discussions moving forward.

Douglas Alexander
Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
11th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps are being considered to reduce financial burdens on small and independent high street businesses.

This government is committed to creating a fairer business rates system for small businesses on the high street. From 2026-27, we will introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties with rateable values of less than £500,000.

We recognise that businesses will need support during this period of transition. RHL relief will be extended for one year at 40% and the small business multiplier will be frozen for one year. This package is worth over £1.5 billion in 2025-26 and is aimed at supporting the most vulnerable businesses.

Our new Business Growth Service will make it easier for businesses across the UK to get the help, support and advice they need. It will bring together existing offers including Business Support Service and the network of local Growth Hubs across England. Our forthcoming Small Business Strategy will set out how we intend to further support small businesses on the high street and beyond.

Gareth Thomas
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
5th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what plans his Department has to negotiate a Free Trade Agreement with the United States.

In their meeting on 27 February, the Prime Minister and President spoke about the fair, balanced and reciprocal economic relationship that the UK and the US enjoy. They agreed to deepen this relationship, and tasked their teams to work together on an economic deal focused on tech. We are in regular discussions with our US counterparts, and we will set out more details as conversations evolve.

Douglas Alexander
Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
5th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what plans he has to negotiate any new state-level trade agreements with the United States.

The UK is exploring various avenues to strengthen UK-U.S. trade ties and support economic growth, in tandem with development of the Industrial and Trade Strategies. The UK continues to deliver against commitments in signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with individual U.S. states, to help UK businesses deepen their commercial links and facilitate trade.

The UK most recently signed an MoU concerning co-operation on economic relations, trade and investment with the State of Colorado on 27 January 2025

Douglas Alexander
Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
20th May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate she has made of the number of pensioners living in households in fuel poverty in Aldridge-Brownhills constituency.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) does not collect local-level data specifically on pensioners in fuel poverty. The latest estimate of the fuel poverty rate in the Aldridge-Brownhills constituency, based on the Low Income Low Energy Efficiency (LILEE) metric, was 13.2% of households in 2023 (Table 3 of the sub-regional fuel poverty statistics).

Statistics on fuel poverty in England in 2024 by age of the oldest person in the household can be found in Table 23 of the fuel poverty detailed tables.

Miatta Fahnbulleh
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
1st Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an estimate of the number of pensioners in receipt of means-tested benefits who are experiencing fuel poverty.

The latest official Fuel Poverty Statistics for England were published in March 2025 on gov.uk here: Fuel poverty statistics - GOV.UK.

Miatta Fahnbulleh
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
1st Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of implementing a targeted scheme to support older people with their heating bills.

The Government knows that more needs to be done to support vulnerable households that are struggling with bills whilst we transition to clean power.

The Government’s Warm Home Discount (WHD) scheme provides targeted support to eligible low-income households across Great Britain with a £150 rebate off their winter energy bill. The scheme provides rebates to pensioners in receipt of Pension Credit Guarantee Credit, the vast majority of whom receive the rebate automatically. In February, we published a consultation on the expansion of the Warm Home Discount, giving more eligible households £150 off their energy bills. These proposals would bring around 2.7 million households into the scheme – pushing the total number of households that would receive the discount next winter up to around 6 million. This would see an increase in those in receipt of the Savings Credit element of Pension Credit receiving a discount next winter.

I have been clear with suppliers that they should do all that they can to support their customers – including vulnerable consumers – who may be struggling with their bills.

Building on the work I did with energy suppliers to agree the £500 million Winter Commitment to help customers last winter, I am now also leading a working group with Energy UK and other stakeholders to consider how we can take further sustained action on improving affordability and accessibility of energy.

Miatta Fahnbulleh
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
1st May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential benefits for businesses in Aldridge-Brownhills constituency of the £10m grant issued to the West Midlands Innovation Accelerator this year.

We were delighted to extend the Innovation Accelerator pilot into 2025/26, investing an extra £30 million in growing high-potential clusters in the West Midlands, Glasgow City Region and Greater Manchester.

The West Midlands Innovation Accelerators is supporting a range of projects focused on business innovation. For example, Midlands Health Tech Innovation Accelerator is helping companies navigate “pinch-points” in the medical translation process, and Clean Futures is supporting SMEs to develop, demonstrate and grow clean-tech solutions in partnership with the wider ecosystem.

Innovate UK will continue to work collaboratively with each regional partnership to maximise the impact on their regions.

Feryal Clark
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
8th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of bin strikes in Birmingham on levels of international tourism to the area.

No, because it is obvious that it would be better for all if the strikes were to end.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
1st Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, for what reason it is her policy to place a mandatory gambling levy on society lotteries while not requiring the National Lottery to make a mandatory problem gambling contribution.

Under the terms of the fourth licence, the National Lottery operator, Allwyn, is required to make a £1.6million annual contribution to socially responsible purposes such as research and treatment.

Society lotteries will be charged the levy at the lowest rate of 0.1%, in recognition of the comparatively low rates of harm associated with participation in society lotteries and the important benefits they bring to good cause fundraising.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
31st Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the planned changes to the Listed Places of Worship grant scheme on listed places of worship.

DCMS Ministers received advice on changes to the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, including consideration of the potential impacts of various options to scale the scheme.

The changes announced were necessary given the tight fiscal challenges we inherited from the previous government and considering competing financial demands in other parts of the heritage and cultural sector.Will continue the widest distribution of the scheme’s benefits within the available means. Based on previous scheme data, we expect 94% of claims to be unaffected by this change.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
7th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to increase the (a) transparency and (b) accountability of lottery fundraising by charities.

The transparency and accountability of society lottery operators is a matter for the Gambling Commission through its Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP).

The Minister for Gambling has no current plans to take action in this area.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
7th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans her Department has to remove the cap on charity lottery ticket sales.

Society lotteries are a vital fundraising tool for many charities, community groups, sports clubs and other non-commercial organisations.

We are carefully considering calls to increase or remove limits on ticket sales, alongside the results of independent research into the lotteries sector.

We will provide an update on our policy position before the Summer Recess.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
3rd Dec 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to publish research commissioned by her department to gather evidence about the (a) size and (b) nature of the prize draw sector.

The Department is still considering the findings of the independent research, which looked at the size and nature of the prize draw market, as well as possible gambling harm associated with these products. This research is informing our policy considerations, as whilst not regulated as a gambling product under the Gambling Act, we want people who participate in large scale commercial prize draws to be confident that proportionate protections are in place. We will update Parliament further in due course.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
23rd Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of applying zero rate Society Lotteries to a compulsory levy for problem gambling.

Society lotteries are a vital fundraising tool for many charities, community groups, sports clubs and other non-commercial organisations.

The Government is committed to reviewing the best available evidence from a wide range of sources and working with all stakeholders in order to support the industry and ensure there are robust protections in place to protect those at risk.

We will provide further updates to the House soon.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
7th May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to encourage SMEs to participate in the apprenticeships scheme.

I refer the hon. Member for Aldridge-Brownhills to the answer of 19 March 2025 to Question 37179.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
7th May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of ringfencing the skills levy for funding apprenticeships.

I refer the hon. Member for Aldridge-Brownhills to the answer of 7 April 2025 to Question 40142.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
7th May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she made of the number of apprenticeship starts in Aldridge-Brownhills constituency in (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2023-24.

The number of apprenticeship starts in the Aldridge-Brownhills constituency are published in the apprenticeships accredited official statistics publication: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/2d7a8365-ec14-40eb-96d3-08dd85738b16.

These were last published in March 2025. They include full year figures for the 2023/24 academic year, and year to date figures for the 2024/25 academic year.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
1st May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing measures in connection with the Growth and Skills Levy to protect funding for (a) SMEs and (b) young people.

This government has committed to widening the apprenticeships offer into a growth and skills offer, which will offer greater flexibility to employers and learners and align with the industrial strategy.

As a first step, this will include shorter duration apprenticeships and new foundation apprenticeships for young people. These will help more people learn high-quality skills at work, give more young people a foot in the door at the start of their working lives, and support the pipeline of new talent that employers will need to drive economic growth.

Construction will be one of the key sectors that will benefit from foundation apprenticeships from August 2025, backed by an additional £40 million, and shorter duration apprenticeships will also be possible from August 2025.

The government recognises the importance of ensuring the growth and skills offer supports small and medium-sized employers (SMEs) to access apprenticeships. Development of the offer will be informed by the results of Skills England’s analysis and engagement, including on where flexibilities will be most helpful for employers, including SMEs.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
31st Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of fully funding apprenticeships for under-22s in SMEs on apprenticeship starts to date.

Since April 2024, the government pays 100% of apprentice training costs, up to the funding band maximum, for non-levy paying employers when they take on apprentices aged 16 to 21, and apprentices aged 22 to 24 who have an education, health and care plan or have been in local authority care.

Apprenticeship statistics, including starts by young people, can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
25th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of removing one-word Ofsted judgements on parental (a) engagement and (b) understanding.

These are matters for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver. I have asked him to write to the hon. Member for Aldridge-Brownhills directly and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
17th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of children who transferred from private to state schools in the first three months of (a) 2024 and (b) 2025.

Data on pupil numbers in the state-funded and private school sectors is collected in January and published in June each year. This shows how pupil numbers at different types of school have changed over time.

In January 2023 there were 591,954 pupils in independent schools. In January 2024, this number had increased by 1,532 to 593,486.

This data is published at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/f3ef2b69-9a02-4040-1972-08dd660c60ce. Pupil numbers for January 2025 will be published in June 2025.

Stephen Morgan
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
17th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help support state schools with trends in the level of demand for state school places following the application of VAT to private school fees.

As set out in HM Treasury’s tax information and impact note published on GOV.UK, the introduction of VAT is anticipated to have a very limited impact on the number of pupils in state and private schools. The department has not seen any evidence that contradicts the expectations set out in the government’s impact assessment.

Ending tax breaks on private schools will help raise around £1.8 billion per year by the 2029/30 financial year for investment in public services, including state-funded education which serves 94% of children. This will help break down barriers to opportunity, ensuring every child has access to high-quality education.

​Local authorities are responsible for securing school places for children in their area. Pupil numbers in schools fluctuate for a number of reasons, and the school funding system is already set up to manage that. The department provides capital funding through the basic need grant to support the provision of mainstream school places, based on local authorities’ own pupil forecasts and school capacity data.

Stephen Morgan
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
17th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the application of VAT on private school fees on the (a) accessibility and (b) quality of state education.

As set out in HM Treasury’s tax information and impact note published on GOV.UK, the introduction of VAT is anticipated to have a very limited impact on the number of pupils in state and private schools. The department has not seen any evidence that contradicts the expectations set out in the government’s impact assessment.

Ending tax breaks on private schools will help raise around £1.8 billion per year by the 2029/30 financial year for investment in public services, including state-funded education which serves 94% of children. This will help break down barriers to opportunity, ensuring every child has access to high-quality education.

​Local authorities are responsible for securing school places for children in their area. Pupil numbers in schools fluctuate for a number of reasons, and the school funding system is already set up to manage that. The department provides capital funding through the basic need grant to support the provision of mainstream school places, based on local authorities’ own pupil forecasts and school capacity data.

Stephen Morgan
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
11th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to encourage small and medium-sized enterprises to offer apprenticeships.

Apprenticeships can support small and medium sized employers (SMEs) to improve their skills base, boost productivity and develop a pipeline of future talent.

To support non-levy paying employers, usually SMEs, to offer apprenticeships, the government pays the full training costs for young apprentices aged 16 to 21 years-old, and for apprentices aged 22 to 24 years-old who have an education, health and care (EHC) plan or have been in local authority care. For all other apprentices, employers who do not pay the levy are required to co-invest 5% towards apprentice training costs.

Employers of all sizes can also benefit from £1,000 payments when they take on apprentices aged 16 to 18 years-old, or apprentices aged 19 to 24 years-old who have an EHC plan or have been in local authority care. This is in recognition of the additional support that younger apprentices may require when entering employment. Employers can choose how they spend these payments.

Employers also benefit from not being required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to age 25 where they earn less than £967 a week (£50,270 a year).

Employers that need help with employing an apprentice, including accessing funding, can access the employer support GOV.UK page, which is available here: https://help.employersupport.apprenticeships.gov.uk/hc/en-gb.

The apprenticeship ambassador network is a group of employers and former and current apprentices. Around 35%of the employers are SMEs. Their remit is to inspire greater numbers of employers and individuals to connect with apprenticeships.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
12th May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help support the Falkland Islands government to preserve its (a) marine biodiversity, (b) sustainable fishing practices and (c) other aspects of its ecological environment.

Defra officials work closely with the Falkland Islands Government to ensure that Falkland Island interests are represented in international fisheries meetings at the UN and FAO, and that challenges in ensuring sustainable management of high seas fisheries in the South West Atlantic are addressed.

Defra primarily supports the UK Overseas Territories, including the Falkland Islands, to protect their unique biodiversity and natural environments through the Darwin Plus programme. In the past 5 years, Darwin Plus has awarded funding to 28 projects of benefit to the Falkland Islands worth over £4 million, including 8 worth over £2 million dedicated to marine conservation.

Projects have been working to:

  • Strengthen protection for marine mammals and predators, such as seals, whales, dolphins, porpoises, and seabirds;
  • Restore breeding habitat for Magellanic penguins;
  • Solve why fur seal bycatch by commercial fisheries has been increasing and inform prevention measures; and
  • Predict the impact of climate change on key species to support fishery and ecosystem resilience.
Emma Hardy
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
7th May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of publishing a local authority league table for incidences of fly-tipping.

This Government has not made an assessment of the potential merits of publishing a local authority league table for incidences of fly-tipping.

Local authorities in England are required to report fly-tipping incidents and actions to Defra, which are published annually at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fly-tipping-in-england. In assessing the figures local authorities should not be classified as ‘good’ or ‘poor’ performers based purely on numbers of fly-tips and comparisons between local authorities should be made with care.

Mary Creagh
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
6th May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help tackle commercial fly-tipping involving construction and demolition waste.

This Government recently announced plans to move the regulation of waste carriers, brokers and dealers from a light-touch registration system into environmental permitting. This will mean that people who transport or control more than a certain volume of construction or demolition waste, which is produced by themselves in the course of their business, will be required to apply for the relevant standard rules permit. The reform will enhance the resources and capabilities available to the Environment Agency to take regulatory action and make it harder for rogue operators to escape detection.

Local authorities also have enforcement powers to help tackle fly-tipping. We are taking steps to develop statutory fly-tipping enforcement guidance for local authorities and have also announced a review of their powers to seize and crush vehicles of suspected fly-tippers to identify how we could help them make better use of this tool.

We committed to forcing fly-tippers to clean up their mess and will provide further details on this commitment in due course.

Defra chairs the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group through which we work with local authorities, the Environment Agency and others to share good practice on preventing fly-tipping. Various practical tools are available at: https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/national-fly-tipping-prevention-group#.

Mary Creagh
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
6th May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2025 to Question 47228 on Sustainable Farming Incentive, whether the (a) launch and (b) rollout of the replacement Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme will be in 2025.

We will provide further details about the reformed Sustainable Farming Incentive in summer 2025.

Daniel Zeichner
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
6th May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support farmers enrolled in the SFI scheme to transition to the forthcoming replacement programme.

We will provide further details about the reformed Sustainable Farming Incentive in summer 2025.

Daniel Zeichner
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
1st May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing penalties for fly-tipping.

We have committed to forcing fly-tippers to clean up the mess they have created. This will build on the sanctions already available which include fixed penalty notices of up to £1000, seizing and crushing of vehicles and prosecution which can lead to a significant fine, a community sentence or even imprisonment. There are no plans to increase the fixed penalty levels at this time.

The Defra chaired National Fly-tipping Prevention Group has produced a guide on how local authorities, and others, can present robust cases to court. This is available at https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/national-fly-tipping-prevention-group.

We encourage councils to make good use of their enforcement powers, and we are currently seeking powers to provide statutory guidance on fly-tipping enforcement. We have also announced a review of council powers to seize and crush the vehicles of suspected fly-tippers, to identify how we could help councils make better use of this tool.

Mary Creagh
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
1st May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of a (a) national debate and (b) action plan on fly-tipping.

This Government has not made an assessment of the potential merits of a national debate or action plan on fly-tipping.

We are committed to forcing fly-tippers to clean up the mess that they have created as part of a crackdown on anti-social behaviour. We will provide further details on this commitment in due course.

We encourage councils to make good use of their enforcement powers, which include fixed penalty notices of up to £1000, seizing vehicles and prosecution, and we are taking steps to develop statutory fly-tipping enforcement guidance to support local authorities to consistently and effectively exercise these powers.

We have also announced a review of council powers to seize and crush vehicles of suspected fly-tippers, to identify how we could help councils make better use of this tool.

Mary Creagh
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
1st May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a litter and fly-tipping champion in Government.

This Government has not made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a litter and fly-tipping champion in Government.

Local authorities are usually best placed to respond to litter and fly-tipping problems in a way tailored to the communities in which they occur. Local authorities already they have a range of enforcement tools at their disposal including fixed penalty notices and prosecution. We encourage and support councils to make good use of their enforcement powers, and we are currently seeking powers to provide statutory guidance on fly-tipping enforcement.

Mary Creagh
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
1st May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department's policy is on entering the premises of (a) animal shelters and (b) rescue homes to assess (ii) animal welfare and (ii) conditions.

Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, local authorities and the police have powers to investigate allegations of animal cruelty or poor welfare, including powers of entry to premises such as animal shelters and rescue homes. Section 18 of the Act allows animals to be seized where necessary to prevent suffering.

Daniel Zeichner
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
1st May 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of a fourth round of grants under the fly-tipping grant scheme.

This Government has not made an assessment of the potential merits of a fourth round of grants. The Government is making available £69 billion to council budgets across England – a 6.8% cash terms increase, to help fund key responsibilities like tackling fly-tipping.

We will continue to work with the National Fly-tipping Prevention Group to highlight and share best practice with regards to tackling fly-tipping. Various practical tools, including case studies from previous grants, are available from their website https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/national-fly-tipping-prevention-group#.

Mary Creagh
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
29th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 7 April 2025 to Question 42598 on Recycling: Packaging, who is on the steering group; and which specific sectors are represented.

The Scheme Administrator Steering Group has an independent chair, UK Government officials, local authority representation, and business and producer representatives. Please see this GOV.UK page for Scheme Administrator Steering Group membership.

Mary Creagh
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
23rd Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 April 2025 to Question 43886 on Sustainable Farming Incentive, what his planned timetable is for the (a) launch date, (b) details, (c) application period, (d) determination and (e) awarding of funding for the replacement scheme.

Defra will be working closely with farmers and industry stakeholders to design a future Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) offer that fairly and responsibly directs funding. This future SFI offer will build on what has made SFI effective so far. Further details about the reformed SFI offer will be announced following the spending review in summer 2025.

Daniel Zeichner
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
23rd Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 April 2025 to Question 43886 on Sustainable Farming Incentive, what estimate his Department has made of the number of farmers impacted by the closure of the scheme; and whether they will be prioritised in future schemes.

Currently there are over 39, 000 live SFI agreements.

The government will work with the farming and environmental sectors to prioritise funding for future years so we can target SFI actions fairly and effectively, focusing on helping less productive land contribute to our priorities for food, farming and nature.

We will provide further details about the reformed SFI in summer 2025.

Daniel Zeichner
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
22nd Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2025 to Question 42597 on Packaging: Recycling, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the differential in weight between glass and plastic on glass producers.

In October 2024, the Government published an updated assessment of the impact of introducing the pEPR scheme. This impact assessment included an estimate for pEPR fees per tonne of packaging material. This estimate did not split by packaging material type.

Defra officials have engaged with industry and technical experts, to ensure that the modelling of local authority costs accurately reflect the on the ground reality of waste management. This confirmed that packaging volumes, rather than weight, are accounted for when determining the costs of kerbside dry recycling collections. This is especially important for heavier materials such as glass which would see higher base fees under a weight-based apportionment of these costs. Illustrative base fees for the 8 material categories have now been published.

Mary Creagh
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)